America's worst charities

[Blue_In_AK]

Since I just got hit up by the Kids Wish Network, which appears to be almost a total scam (and gave them a firm "NO&quot , I'm going to post this list for everyone's edification. I don't usually even answer my phone, but since my husband's out shopping and has the cell phone with him, I took the risk and picked up.

Anyway, this should be taped to everyone's wall to shut these assholes down when they call. I can't get this to post in chart form, but you get the idea.

http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/

The 50 worst, ranked by money blown on soliciting costs

Totals from the latest 10 years of available federal tax filings





Rank

Charity name

Total raised by solicitors

Paid to solicitors

% spent on direct cash aid


1 Kids Wish Network $127.8 million $109.8 million 2.5%
2 Cancer Fund of America $98.0 million $80.4 million 0.9%
3 Children's Wish Foundation International $96.8 million $63.6 million 10.8%
4 American Breast Cancer Foundation $80.8 million $59.8 million 5.3%
5 Firefighters Charitable Foundation $63.8 million $54.7 million 8.4%
6 Breast Cancer Relief Foundation $63.9 million $44.8 million 2.2%
7 International Union of Police Associations,
AFL-CIO $57.2 million $41.4 million 0.5%
8 National Veterans Service Fund $70.2 million $36.9 million 7.8%
9 American Association of State Troopers $45.0 million $36.0 million 8.6%
10 Children's Cancer Fund of America $37.5 million $29.2 million 5.3%

[Vattel]

1. Doctors without Borders is a good one (IMO)

[Blue_In_AK]

2. I've cut my charitable giving down to Amnesty International, ACLU and our local Special Olympics.

And sometimes if I'm feeling rich, I give to Doctors without Borders, too, because I agree they do good work. The so-called charities on this list should be ashamed of themselves.

[jeff47]

3. *sigh*. Stupid morals, standing between me and easy money.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. On this we agree.

[elfin]

4. Mainly just donate locally to food banks, humane society

Library and local public radio/tv.

Docs without borders during episodic disasters.

So many are scams, that I try to keep close to home where I can see more of a direct impact where either I or someone I know is directly involved,

[dhill926]

6. bookmarked.....thanks....

[DesertFlower]

7. none of my charities are on that list.

a few i give to:

feeding america (second harvest)
meals on wheels
st. mary's food bank (arizona)
arizona humane society
UNICEF
wounded warriors

[RebelOne]

8. None of mine neither.

I mainly donate cash to animal rescue groups and household goods and clothing to the local Kidney Cancer Fund because my sister died from kidney cancer.

[DesertFlower]

12. i donate clothes, etc. to

st. vincent's services. i also donated to "hospice of the valley". my husband passed away in 2012 from an inoperable brain tumor. they took good care of him.

[drmeow]

9. Charity Navigator

at http://www.charitynavigator.org/ rates charities. I know at least one of the charities I give to doesn't rate their top score but they are (semi) local so there are other benefits - but at least I made an informed decision.

Charity watch is another one: http://www.charitywatch.org/ - but you have to pay for this one.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

10. Wow,

that's some list there. I wonder how many of them share an affiliation.

[madokie]

11. We have a local charity that we take groceries too

It was started by an old acquaintances dad 40 or so years ago.

[Curmudgeoness]

13. Notice that most of these are plays on other names

of charities that have good reputations. I also had a call from either the "kids wish" or "children's wish" organization. I just repeated the name to the caller and said that I had never heard of that organization and they hung up on me...so they obviously knew that I was aware that they were not the "make a wish" organization. They are using the names to confuse a lot of people.

I always say no on the phone. Always.

[Wilms]

14. ^

[el_bryanto]

15. I like Kiva and other micro-loan organizations

because the money just rolls over - and can be rededicated to other people who need help. I've loaned out more than twice as much money as I've donated at this point, and it's only been a few years.

Bryant